It's not Denial
by Arieru Ratoretto
Summary: Most girls experience sexual attraction in their teens,but not Hinata.She's had crushes but never wished to act upon them.She has a bad first relationship with a pushy boyfriend and her father finds out. UPDATE: Chapter 5 is up, sorry for the wait!
1. Chapter 1

UPDATE: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS THE ORIGINAL CHAPTERS ONE AND TWO.

Hinata just wasn't interested. All her friends were out getting laid and bragging, but she just didn't want to. Sex, sex, sex. It was everywhere. But... She didn't want that. People said she was a late bloomer, it would come in time. That was when she was fifteen. Two years later the thought of it still made her want to retch. Asexual Hinata has a bad first relationship with a very pushy Kiba. Her father finds out about the relationship and decides to marry her off before another such incident makes her unsuitable for marriage. She has to find someone willing to take her or have the council and her father chose for her. She loves Naruto, but she's just not ready for that kind of relationship. She never would be. Someone in a similar predicament offers to take her hand and not her dignity. How long will his attitude last? SasuHina with KibaHina in the beginning.

WARNING: This fic is rated M for a reason. Citris, but NOT PWP. It sort of has a plot. It has it's dark moments and is full of the angst of teenagers. I'll try to make it not completely emo, but I'm also trying to stay in character as well as I can. And we all know Sasuke... This fic will not be centered around any other pairings, because it's about Hinata. If I change my mind later (which is unlikely) it will only be because the plot demands it. Constructive critique is encouraged, but please don't just bash. Ex:

Critique: "You're plot is really sketchy and I think you made Kiba too brutal."

Bash: "This sucks."

Thank you for checking out my fic, and I won't put a disclaimer up because this site is called so I think it's implied. --;;

* * *

Chapter 1: A Love Too Pure/ Betrayal of Betrayal

"W-wait!" Her voice shook in a half whimper as he moved his hand up her leg. "P-p-please… Please stop!" Her nose stung and her voice caught in her throat. She held back tears of hurt, tears of betrayal. She didn't want to cry, she promised herself she wouldn't cry anymore. "K-Kiba!" She sobbed, her voice hitched, jerking as one does when one is walking and their clothes snag on something pulling them back while still going forward.

"You're just nervous." Kiba cooed, making it hard to discern whether he was trying to sooth her fears or trick her into submission. His rough hand slipped beneath the waistband of her pants sliding over her underwear to rest between her legs. One layer of thin silk protected her from his overbearing grasp. He rubbed his three middle fingers on the silk, causing her to gasp. The gasp was mistaken as one of pleasure and the hand massaged harder causing her to release another round of sobs and pleas.

"Please, Kiba… P-please st-stop!" He chose to ignore her last word and lifted up the hem of her panties. Then he pushed a finger painfully into her and the hard fought tears made their way down her delicate cheeks. She didn't cry from the pain, not the physical pain. This was a betrayal of her trust in him, everything she thought about him. She said no, she said she didn't want to but he did it anyway. He always thought she was just being shy, but she didn't feel anything from his fingers in her. There was the initial pain from her being stretched, but after that she felt completely numb. She didn't feel pleasure from this. Not from something as disgusting as this.

He took her hand and placed it on the noticeable bulge in his pants, releasing a hearty growl of desire. "I want you, Hinata." She just cried, cried as she always did. A girl like her, he thought, must cry from the feeling he gave her. She was so innocent after all. But this was boring him, he was tired of having to trick and push her into every new thing. Seriously, the girl was innocent even while they did these things. This had to stop. He jerked her pants violently, taking her underwear down with them. She was pinned beneath him, but he saw her try to scoot away as he reached his hand down to his own zipper. "N-No….!" When she acted like this he thought it best to ignore her. All girls were like this their first time, weren't they? After this she needn't be afraid of anything they did.

Earlier in their relationship she had explained her fear of people to him. Not them personally, but all of them together, gatherings and the like. Her fear of being touched even by an innocent brush of a shoulder as people pushed by in the hallways. He intended to cure her of that. He finished pulling himself out of the hole in the front of his boxers and scooted himself closer to her. "Wa—" She started, but he silenced her before the word could escape her lips. When they had started dating eight months before, she didn't even understand what he meant when he asked her if she was wet. He'd taught her a lot since then, or tried to. She'd seen his dick before, he even had her touch him, but she never got used to it. This relationship they had wasn't enough. Couldn't she see how much he needed her?

Hinata gasped for breath as he released her mouth. She never liked the feeling of his tongue inside of her mouth, she felt like she was choking. His hand moved down to guide himself to her. She was horror stricken. This couldn't be happening. She was only seventeen, not even a proper adult! She had no intention of doing this… This thing that she would never understand. She didn't like it. She rejected it with every fiber of her body. Her eyes flashed wildly around the room, anywhere but at him. At that _thing_. She had told herself that if she loved him she had to accept him, all of him. But… But… A new wash of tears streamed down her face and she raised her arms in front of herself as if to fend him off. "I don't want to… I don't want to… P-please… Please don't…" His eyes were shadowed so that his expression was covered. She closed her eyes and prepared herself for the pain. For the numbness in between her legs devoid of any of the wonderful sensations her friends had bragged about. She'd never felt those feelings, just pressure. And pain. "P-please…" The whisper was her last attempt to save herself, to make this nightmare end. "Y-you… You promised…" She quivered as she felt the heat of his chest move closer. "P-promised you… Wouldn't h-hurt me."

He froze and his entire body went rigid. He growled in irritation and she felt more than saw him move away from her. She scrambled to conceal herself with her clothing that had been pushed down to her knees. The tears wouldn't stop flowing down her face, she knew that she had upset him. She knew from the moment that she had allowed him to kiss her the first time that she would never be good enough for him because of who she was. No man would want someone like her. She had admired him for his confidence, just as she had admired Naruto. She didn't know her feelings, she did love him but she didn't want him to do these things. Never. No man could accept that. No one would love her without asking the impossible.

He wouldn't put up with her anymore. She knew it. For weeks he had been distant, not even speaking to her as a girlfriend. He treated her like that and then this suddenly. His final test. She knew it. She knew it. It was all her fault, because she wasn't good enough. Because she was afraid. Because she didn't like the things that everyone by human nature should. She must be broken, something was wrong with her. She wanted to make him happy, but she just couldn't… Not that. Anything but that. His back was to her and she knew what would happen next. All those times she didn't push him away because he dropped hints that he would leave her. But this was too far for her to pretend, even if it meant she had to be alone.

"Hinata…" His guttural voice was the perfect example of carefully controlled emotion. Anger, frustration. She could hear it in his voice, see it in the way he held himself. "I'm bored." He walked out of the room leaving her in a crumpled ball on the bed. That was it. His last words rang through the air accompanied by her pained sobbing. She didn't know how long it had been when she finally willed herself to get up. She left through the window so she wouldn't have to face him. He'd be sleeping on the couch tonight so he wouldn't even know she was gone until he woke up the next day.

* * *

Hinata-sama had been in her room all week. They were not close, but nor were they distant. Her avoidance of the household, of her life vexed him. But she was not one to run away from her problems anymore, not for the past couple of years. Not since he beat her the first time she took the Chuunin exam. She had undergone many hardships since then; the council's harassment and interrogation, her father's disapproving glances, Hanabi's continual triumph over her. Even he himself had been cold to her on occasion out of pure habit. Something must have happened to make her forget her aspirations to change herself. 

He sighed, brows furrowed in a shape that could be read as concern. He really was no good at speaking with her. Things between them were still… Awkward. Not in a bad way as it had been, but awkward none the less. Even as he thought these things to himself he was making his way down the hall towards her room. Perhaps he would not need to do anything. Perhaps it was something that could be solved simply by listening to her. Perhaps, but he doubted it. If it was that simple she would not have locked herself up there to begin with. The door stood in front of him, not a foot from his face. He could reach out and touch the wood screen so easily, but he just stood there debating whether or not to come in.

He had done this everyday that week, ever since she came home one afternoon without greeting him in the hallway. She _always_ greeted him in the hallway. Today was just like all the other days. He stood there, lifted his hand, and let it drop to his side once more. Each day he had stayed just a little bit longer. Today he would go in. She should not waste her life away in this fashion. She was blessed by birth and would be the heiress one day. Well, she might be. The council greatly favored Hanabi at the moment, so there was a chance that she would simply be married off to another clan as an honorable way to get her out of the way. But he didn't think that would be the case. She said she would change the Hyuuga, and he believed her.

With memories of her encouraging smile, he lifted his hand for a second time. He felt the wood panel beneath his fingers and knew that there was no going back. His decision was made. The sound of the sliding wood door and then he was inside. The room was unnaturally clean. The walls were the same white paper that ran through the entire manor, and there was a single desk in the room. Her bed was safely folded up in the closet leaving it the only furniture in the room. Hinata sat in the middle of the room staring out at everything and nothing. Unfocused eyes snapped to attention when he entered the room and she scrambled to get up to bow to him.

"No. Stay where you are. I will sit with you." The commanding tone of his voice made her freeze in place. She cast her eyes shamefully to the floor and poked her index fingers together nervously. She was the image of a child who knew they were about to get scolded by a cold parent. It was the very expression that she had worn every time her father had pulled her aside to speak to her about her training. He would never raise his voice, he would never even show disappointment. Only a cold expression showing that he did not like what he saw. It was the look of all the Hyuuga elders. Although he did not like to admit it, it was an expression that he shared. Only Hinata seemed to have never used it.

"G-gomen nasai, Neji-niisan. I did not mean to cause trouble and make you come to check on me. I-" Her voice faltered for a moment. She knew exactly why he was there, then. Her guilty expression confirmed it as much as her next words. "I will return to my training tomorrow. I apologize, I have been… Indisposed." Her head hung but her shoulders stayed back and her back straight. Even in such a state, Hinata was a Hyuuga.

"I did not come to scold you, Hinata." It was plain that she believed her father had sent Neji to retrieve her. It pained him slightly to know that she felt he was as cold as Hiashi, but he had done nothing to convince her otherwise in all these years. Perhaps he was as cold as Hiashi, but it did not matter. "You have confined yourself to your room for many days now and I was concerned for your well being." He looked her straight in the eye as he spoke the words, capturing her gaze and holding it. He was pleased to see that her eyes did not reflect shock.

Neji's unexpected show of concern for herself caused her to soften and relax in his company. She smiled warmly, already feeling like she felt a little bit better. "A… Arigatou, Neji-niisan. It makes me v-very happy that you came to visit me today." He looked at her expectantly and she realized what he required in return for this rare show of kindness. She hesitated before continuing, "I-I have just been… Upset becau- because—" Her voice caught again and it looked like she was about it burst into tears at any moment. Neji waited patiently for her to regain her composure. "K-Kiba-kun…" She whispered his name under her breath as if calling it too loudly would break the word.

Veins appeared around Neji's eyes and his brows drew close together in a glare. Now he could see everything clearly. Her frail figure shook under his gaze, he could see the way she clamped her legs together uncomfortably as she breathed his name. She drew into herself, her entire body was screaming that she didn't want anything to touch her, as if she had been remembering some unpleasant situation. A situation that made her fear to be touched. A great heat rose from his center and he stood up abruptly causing Hinata to fall backward to avoid bumping his head.

"He touched you." The sound came from deep in his throat before he could curb his voice. It was not a question. They both knew that it was not a question. But still, Hinata objected to his conclusion. "It- it's not like th-that…" She felt his angry glare bore into her. He was upset with her. But… She couldn't let Kiba take all the blame. If she'd been stronger… If she'd only been stronger then it could have all been avoided. So it was her fault, Kiba shouldn't get in trouble. He didn't deserve to feel the wrath of her cousin.

"Please… D-don't… Don't be mad at K-Kiba-kun. He meant w-well." She practically choked out the last words. She had to protect him, though. Even if… No. He wasn't using her, she refused to think like that. He had loved her. She still loved him. It just… Hadn't worked out. It wasn't his fault. It was because there was something wrong with her. He would have waited if she had made him promise to wait until after marriage. She was sure he would have. But she couldn't promise him anything because she… She was dysfunctional. That's why this problem had come out. "It- It was my fault."

His eyes narrowed down at her causing her to flinch. "Are you saying that you asked him to… Do what he did? To strip you of a future?" Surely she had more self respect than that. She was raised better. Her head shot up in shock, "He-We.. _That_ didn't…" Neji relaxed slightly at this. She was still a virgin, then. But he had done something along those lines. Her body screamed abuse. He sighed. "He only violated you, then?" He said the word only in disgust. It was said in such a way that the message was unmistakable even as the words meant something else. He was showing his displeasure at her being fine with it all, that she had implied he had 'only' touched her. It was not the kind of attitude that a young woman should have when she was violated.

This was the Hyuuga way of communication. Words were spoken, but much more was said. Her gaze dropped to the floor, and he knew at once that his suspicions were confirmed. His voice immediately became cold. "Very well. Wash and get dressed." He did not give an explanation for his words but she did not need one. Fear struck her face as if he had slapped her. "N-Neji-niisan! Wait! P-Please! You're n-not going to…" He gave her a cold look and stepped out the door. "Hiashi-sama and I will call for you when we are ready." The door slid shut behind him. Once again, Hinata was left in a desperate mound on the floor. He was going to tell Father. He was going to tell. Her life was over.

* * *

Alright, the new and improved chapter one. I have decided that I shall write longer chapters, and so... I am combining chapters 1 and 2, 3 and 4, and 5 and 6. From now on, new chapters will be roughly four Word pages long instead of two. I hope to continue to update often, so please enjoy.  



	2. Chapter 2

UPDATE: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS THE ORIGINAL CHAPTERS THREE AND FOUR.

Here's chapter three. Thank you all for staying tuned, I hope to continue to update often.

This fic is rated M for a reason. Citris, but NOT PWP. It sort of has a plot. It has it's dark moments and is full of the angst of teenagers. I'll try to make it not completely emo, but I'm also trying to stay in character as well as I can. And we all know Sasuke... This fic will not be centered around any other pairings, because it's about Hinata. If I change my mind later (which is unlikely) it will only be because the plot demands it. Constructive critique is encouraged, but please don't just bash. Ex:

Critique: "You're plot is really sketchy and I think you made Kiba too brutal."

Bash: "This sucks."

* * *

Chapter 2: Torn Future/Lost Love

It was cold in that room. The room that was hundreds of years old and held the enmity of those both long dead and those yet to come. It was a cold room. When one stepped into that room it was immediately known that in some way the future was a little bit darker. Images of happiness and love did not exist in this place. It was as if it was another world made exclusively for the clan, for that was all that mattered when in that room.

She shivered as she entered, the moment her foot touched the floor the dread that she had tried to chase away returned with full force. His eyes seemed to look at her, as if she was the only thing in the world. She was exposed for all to see, her deepest darkest secrets, shames held out for scrutiny. He saw her and yet he did not. This was her father. The same cold quality that she had seen in her cousin's eyes was there. It was stronger. He would know everything she did not say just as Neji-niisan had. She bowed timidly before taking the short but endless route to the tea table.

This was the instant that heroes spoke of when they first confronted their worst fear. They spoke of the cold feeling that ran through their entire body when all hope of escape had abandoned them. Going forward when you knew it would lead to a painful death, but going forward none the less. Each step his eyes grew colder and the damp hair on her back made tiny streams of ice that dug into her skin. She saw the look in his eyes but did not have the courage to meet his glare. To do so would certainly mean death.

"G-good evening, Father." Her voice was unsteady but she continued to go through the motions of polite conversation that had been drilled into her since birth. It came almost without thinking, and had this been any other situation she might not have stuttered out the familiar words. "What is it t-that you need of me?" His face did not change, his lips did not move. The silence was more terrifying than his harsh words had ever been. She fought the urge to bring her hand to her lips. It was not proper to fidget, she could not make any mistakes now or the worse would happen.

"Sit down." The voice was cold and had an air of authority about it. The demand could not be ignored, the tone said much more than the words. It spoke volumes. The voice was not her father's, however. The man took a step and was no longer concealed in the shadow behind where she had come in. She meekly complied, wondering at how she descended in a controlled fashion and had not simply fallen. Her legs felt made of jelly and she sorely hoped she would be able to get back up again. Hiashi did not so much as nod in acknowledgement of Neji's presence. He looked the same as he had when she walked in the door. He had not moved once.

The tension hung thick in the air, so thick that it felt as if it was making the very air heavy and hard to breath. With each labored breath she willed herself to live. _Breathe, just breath. In. Out._ She focused on staying alive, staying conscious. She… She could live through this, she could not give up. Her first love had brought this quality out in her. Now it was so much a part of her that his face no longer came to mind when she forced herself to go on. The words that echoed through her head were her own, the strength was no longer borrowed from another. It came from within. She struggled with another lungful of soupy air. She fought to calm herself, she must. _In. Out._

And then he spoke. "It seems…" The pause was so perfectly placed that it was impossible to tell if he stopped for thought or for dramatic effect. His cold eyes narrowed. He had never… His expression never changed when he spoke to her. But it did. "I have given you too much freedom." She choked on her lungful of air as the words left him out. As if they had poisoned the air, as if it no longer had the power to give life. All good leaked from the world in that moment. Cold terror rose up from her heart, terror that was not like what she felt when he scolded her for being weak. It was the terror that she had felt when she saw a young boy slaughter three people without even touching them. She never thought the feeling would return, but her own father had brought it back to life.

"I had thought to change the old ways after my brother died. Because of this, I have done all in my power to do so. Hanabi, who is the second born, was not branded with the curse seal. No one has been since his death. And you, my heir, would have been immediately betrothed to a man who would breed strength into the main house." Her eyes widened and she at last allowed her eyes to meet his. He… "It was a mistake on my part," He looked deep into her eyes, into her soul, striking fear. She knew what he would say next. "To think that you would take to an honorable marriage if left to your own devices. I have decided…" Please no, no. He couldn't. Anything but this. "That a marriage must be arranged by the end of the year, before another such… _Incident_ occurs."

A half strangled cry escaped from her lips causing Neji to turn his glare on her. "P-Please, Father… I didn't—" His voice boomed forth, cutting off her desperate plea before she could start to argue her case. "Be quiet." His voice was sharp like a double edged blade but it cut deeper than any such blade could hope to reach.

"You will be engaged by the end of the year. You will be spoken for by the time you have reached adulthood or I will find you a suitor." She covered her mouth to capture the startled gasp that threatened to ruin everything. "You may leave now." He quickly got to his feet and left the room, not waiting for her to follow his request. It was an unexpected courtesy from him. He would not simply throw her out to live with a stranger. He was not completely heartless. Even though it was not the worst thing he could have done, the weight of her situation forced her to the floor once again.

Neji grabbed her arm tightly and jerked her at once to her feet. "Get up. You shame yourself to act this way after what Hiashi-sama has given you." She bit her bottom lip, how selfish she was being. She had been given another chance. Her fate was sealed, but he had not completely taken her will from her. She… She had to go forward. Her head nodded weakly and she put weight on her limp legs. This… This was the best she could hope for. She would find—She should go to Kiba and beg his forgiveness. Ask him to take her back, it would be the correct thing to do. To marry him and… No, she couldn't. Not after… She just couldn't.

She would go forward. She would continue like nothing had happened and then she would do her best to fall in love with someone before her eighteenth birthday. If not that then perhaps a marriage of convenience. Love might be too much to ask. It would be better if she did not love the man who would be her husband. Then she would never feel betrayed, she would simply bear with it. Now, however, she must go to her room. Living was what mattered at the moment, the rest would come later. Neji still gripped her arm, and the blood had drained from where he had cut off it's flow. "Neji-niisan…" He released her arm and stood there long enough to study her. Then he left, leaving her alone in the room that made her heart cold.

* * *

Hinata woke up to warm light streaming across her face. "Nng…" Her eyelids contracted in repulsion of the sudden change. Her alarm clock had not yet gone off; it was only four thirty. The sun had risen early. Finally ready to accept the new day, her eyes opened to the welcoming view of her ceiling. The previous night's activity hit her like a ton of bricks, the weight bearing down on her preventing her from sitting up. Relief washed over her leaving her feeling weak. That's right, starting today… 

She stared blankly at the wood and paper panels above her head. She had to… Find someone to marry her before her eighteenth birthday, before this year was up. To just go out and search for someone like that would be… Dishonest. How could she do that to anyone? How could she even ask? A sad sigh passed her lips and she pressed her hands to her face. Maybe she could just block out the world, block out everything. It would be like she was little again, everything so simple. She could just hide behind her father's loose kimono or a cornered fence and she would be safe.

Her chest rose and slowly fell. She eliminated all thought from her mind and let her fingers fall from her face. And then she took control. Control of her fear, control of her life. She… She could do this—No. She would do this. Maybe she wouldn't be able to find someone in time, but whatever happened she would not give up. That was… _Their_ way of the ninja. Forward. Forward.

How long? How long had it been, she wondered. Since she started dating Kiba? No, a few weeks after. She had been unable to go near him knowing that she had promised her thoughts to someone else. Kiba had asked her for a chance, how could she have refused? She could still hear his words clear as day when the prideful Kiba begged her for her time, her love.

_"Please, Hinata! Just give me a chance." His eyes, usually so hard and unyielding, were now looking down at her with a myriad of emotions. Only a few she could name, perhaps pain? Sorrow? Loneliness? He had never looked at her this way, her face flushed. Asking her… How could anyone ask her such a thing? _

_"Ah—Bu—" She fumbled over the words even though she had none. One of her best and only friends was asking her… Asking her to be his… His… _

_"I know you like that idiot, Naruto, but if you just let me I can… I will prove to you that I can be just as good as he is. I'll be better! He's never even given you a second thought! I love you, Hinata, I will never make you regret being my girl!" His eyes were fierce, and fiercer when the one she admired's name slipped though his lips. He spat out the word like a curse, and harsh sounding words followed. When he said her name her face deepened several shades, his voice making her forget her need to defend Naruto against such words as idiot. _

_He took careful care when saying her name, making sure that each time was so soft that it could almost be mistaken for a breath. Softness, he knew, would be the only way he could compete with that brat. He was brazen in everything that he did while Kiba had lived his life around wild animals. To get close to one the slowest movements and gentle gestures was needed. Hinata was like an injured animal in this way. She had had a harsh life, and he knew that the first man to show her the warmth and kindness her family never had would sweep her off her feet. _

A sad smile fell to her lips when she remembered that first time he had told her that he loved her. She had tried to turn him down, but found that she could not. She had rarely seen the other genin after that, especially the boys. He had not forbid her from seeing them; the other boys just never seemed to be around when Kiba took her places. Almost as if… But Kiba would not have done something like that.

Part of the reason had been herself. For the first month, she had seen none of the male genin besides Kiba and Shino. When she finally did run into Naruto… She had made herself leave. She had still felt for him, and it was wrong so she left. She had avoided him, avoided thinking about him, because she had not been able to turn Kiba down. It would have been like betraying him to think of another mans while they were together. He caught her once, and the look on his face had crushed her. She never wanted to be the source of such pain. She gave up her love for Naruto to make him happy, and she had not seen Naruto from that day on.

She shook her head lightly and continued to walk down the dirt road. After not seeing him for so long she could not help that her heart fluttered at the thought, but she tried to make it stop. She had given him up, she had stopped loving him. Hadn't she? It was true that she had not seen him at all so how could she be sure? It had been her choice to forget about him, he didn't think about her. Then why... Why did the prospect of seeing him again make her feel this way?

Now she was even less available than when she was with Kiba. The sudden thought put a damper on her mood. She'd only been dating Kiba, but now… She knew she'd be married by the end of the year. How could she even look at Naruto, much less spend time with him. She could have almost slouched with the weight of her depression. It's not like… Not like she could marry him. He'd never like someone like her, and even if he did she would only drag him down.

Her fathers words echoed in her head, the words of Neji during the chunin exams. The words of the elders, of everyone who spoke behind her back. When they thought she wasn't listening, she heard them. They said she was weak. She dragged them all down. It was her fault. But that wasn't true, she wouldn't let it be true. She had to work harder. Harder than she ever had before. She would be married by the end of the year, but she would not just give up. This she had decided for herself. When the time came she would be ready for anything thrown at her.

"Hinata-chan!" Anything but that. Her chest felt like it was about to burst, her lungs burned, her _face_ burned. _It was Naruto._ Naruto after all this… And he was… Smiling. He was always smiling. That's why she loved—No. She didn't love him. She _admired_ him. His smile, his determination, and his loyalty. Admired.

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you in ages! Almost thought you up and died on us!" Laughter filled her ears, and his arm went behind his head in that familiar pose she had missed so much. It felt as if she would burn to death, all the blood in her body appearing to have defied the laws of gravity and gone straight to her face. The rest of her body went cold like the dead. She couldn't think straight, her mind was enflamed. The mere sight of him… Perhaps she had never stopped loving him after all… But she had loved Kiba. This couldn't be right…

Then again… The way Kiba had touched her, and when he held her hand. It had never felt remotely like this. She had never felt like this around Kiba. They had been close, she did love him. She loved him, even now. But it was a different… A different love than she was feeling. Naruto, now that she had seen him it all came rushing back to her. How should couldn't be near him and Kiba at the same time because… She loved him. And Kiba was like her brother. The reason why it hurt so much, what Kiba had done, was because it was a betrayal of their relationship. It turned what they had into something ugly. Filthy. Even with Naruto… She could not do those things. They were horrible.

The silence had lasted several minutes causing Naruto distress. The awkwardness of it went by unnoticed by Hinata because she was lost in her own dark realization. Meanwhile, Naruto's laughter had died. "Er… Hinata? Are you alright?" Reality immediately snapped back; a small squeak and she took several steps back before falling on her ass. He looked at her with a combination of confusion and acute concern. "Was it something I said?"

"N-n-n-no, Naruto-k-kun! I was j-just… Surprised! It- It's been so long!" The feeling of his offered hand in hers was a guilty pleasure. It had nothing to do with the actual contact, but rather the sense of closeness that she had not had in a long time. "T-Thank you, Naruto-kun…" She let the sentence trail off as the struggled to remember the reason she had come.

"No problem! What'cha doin' around here, Hinata-chan? Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme and I were waiting for Kakashi-sensei to show up." For the first time realizing that they were not alone, Hinata bowed to the pink haired girl. The Uchiha, however, was not standing by the bridge. Before she could think any further on his absence, Naruto's voice interrupted once again. "Shouldn't you be training with Kiba and Shino?"

Her face fell slightly at the mention of Kiba's name, but it went unnoticed by her blonde love whose eyes were closed for some reason. He often closed his eyes when walking around or talking to people. It was a wonder he never crashed into anything. "I.. Well, I w-was wondering i-if… Maybe…" She poked her index fingers together, blushing as she refused to meet his gaze. His deep blue eyes were open and focused on her now and he leaned in closer with one hand cupping his ear to hear her better. She had not noticed that her voice had dropped considerably.

"C-could I…" The words were clear in her head, but her stupid, clumsy mouth just refused to cooperate. She fiddled with her fingers. Then she realized that the lunch boxes she had thought to bring were still lying on her kitchen counter. How could she be so stupid… Now she had nothing to offer in return for them allowing her to train with them… She sighed, distracted from her embarrassment by her sudden epiphany. Luckily, this allowed her to cool down enough to finally get her question out. "T-t-train with y-you three… Maybe…?" There, she had said it. She thought regretfully back to the uneaten lunches while staring unintentionally at Naruto's feet.

"Ah… What was that? I couldn't hear you; you're talking to my feet!" What was at first a genuine question turned to a playful tease. This did not help Hinata's condition at all. Still red with embarrassment, she started to attempt to repeat herself, but was interrupted again.

"She said…" A low voice came from behind her, causing her to spin on her heels to face the speaker. And she was face to neck with Sasuke Uchiha. "That she wants to train with us, dobe. Going deaf might have a negative impact on your career, Naruto."

* * *

Like previously stated, I try to be as in character as possible, so Hiashi will not be abusive or anything. It's true that he is very cold, but you never see him hit Hinata and I believe he cares for them at least a little bit since he didn't get Hanabi sealed like second children are. I don't know if it's because they wait to seal siblings until the older one actually takes the position as head of the family, but I made my own conclusions. Hiashi really did care for his brother, as seen when he bows to Neji after the exams. In any case, now the plot is basically laid out, but it's not perfectly cemented yet. Thank you for continuing to read, and I hope to have chapter four up soon. It will most likely not be as morbid/ depressing as these last few chapters have been since I like to balance stories out. 

New: This is chapters three and four put together. New chapters will be four Word pages long and I am combining chapters 1 and 2, 3 and 4, and 5 and 6 respectively. I hope you will continue to enjoy the story.


	3. Chapter 3

UPDATE: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS THE ORIGINAL CHAPTERS FIVE AND SIX.

Chapter five. Sorry it took so long to get up. I had most of it written for a few days, but I didn't get around to finishing it until now. I'll try to do better with the next chapter. Thanks for reading!

This fic is rated M for a reason. Citris, but NOT PWP. It sort of has a plot. It has it's dark moments and is full of the angst of teenagers. I'll try to make it not completely emo, but I'm also trying to stay in character as well as I can. And we all know Sasuke... This fic will not be centered around any other pairings, because it's about Hinata. If I change my mind later (which is unlikely) it will only be because the plot demands it. Constructive critique is encouraged, but please don't just bash. Ex:

Critique: "You're plot is really sketchy and I think you made Kiba too brutal."

Bash: "This sucks."

* * *

Chapter 3: Reminiscence/Training 

Hinata withered at the closeness of said neck, but her obvious discomfort went largely unnoticed by the two boys. Her face could have made a tomato look pale. Men made her nervous at a normal distance. Her life long crush and the town heartthrob? More than just a little uncomfortable. Naruto came closer, and she knew it was to glare at the Uchiha but that did not help the fact that she was all but sandwiched between them.

"Bastard! Who asked you anyway!? My hearings just fine!" One could almost see the sparks fly. But if Naruto could make sparks, Sasuke's demeanor could make hell freeze over with all the warmth he gave off. The childish ambition and rivalry of his childhood had given way to a much more mature and apathetic attitude. He would almost never speak, and when he did it was out of necessity. Or to say the off handed insult to Naruto, but those were now few and far between as if he could not grace anyone with his voice more than once a day.

He simply believed that when speech was not needed he did not use it. Only idiots used words to fill the silence because they couldn't stand it. They didn't think, so the silence made them realize how shallow they were. Life was not defined by words, but rather by actions. He respected those who took action and those people alone. Naruto was tolerable only because he had the power and determination to get things done.

Sakura was loud and weak. Or was. With age she had mellowed out and with study she was a force to be reckoned with. Before he would have done almost anything to get her out of her hair, but years with the sound nin had taught him how to tune people out. His sudden flight seemed to change the silly girl for the better. A little suffering always brought out the best in people. She could sit silently as long as Naruto wasn't around and she had apparently given up on him. This would have been a great relief if he had cared, but he had not cared in a long time.

An elbow had made contact with Naruto's head after his outburst silencing him for the moment. "We would love to have you train with us, Hinata. We're just waiting for our sensei and we can all start together." Men. They were so insensitive; she was the only one to notice the way Hinata had tensed up at their proximity. She had also noticed how her face had gone pale at the mention of her teammates. Hadn't Hinata been dating that Kiba boy or something? She heard a lot of things while hanging out at Ino's flower shop. Maybe they had a fight.

She took pains to not touch Sasuke. She still cared for him; she just didn't want to. It hurt to love him. Her stupid childhood crush had bloomed after she got to actually know him. She was in a state of confusion. Every time he blew her off or otherwise acted like a prick she would be stuck between her feelings for him and thinking he was a total jerk. It was both, really. She thought she could finally stop loving him after he left, and the feeling had lessened. But it was more in the way that a wound turned from the flaming pain of infliction to the dull ache that came after it was half healed. But that still left hope that it might heal the rest of the way, right?

Sakura had left an opening for Hinata to escape her predicament. She had almost fainted; would have if it hadn't been for her. But Naruto had paid the price with a large lump on his head. She didn't know whether to thank Sakura or apologize to Naruto, so inwardly she did both. She took a few stumbled steps back and bowed to the three. "Thank you for allowing me to t-train with you! I w-will do my best!" Her eyes were squeezed shut with the effort to make the words come out so she did not see the strange looks she was given.

She had been raised differently than the three of them. She was proper in everything that she did, thus, she was not normal. Naruto and Sakura would consider her weird and Sasuke would just look at her the way he looked at everything else. With mild disinterest. For her this was a sudden outburst. Neither Naruto nor Sakura quite knew what to make the strong polite manner which the Hyuuga's practiced. She distanced herself from them while completely unaware of the effect.

Luckily, the awkward silence did not last long. "Sorry I'm late. I—" But dodging Sakura's shoe took priority over finishing the elaborate lie he had cooked up on his way there. "Don't you EVEN START! It's usual for you to make us wait, but Hinata is another story! Don't waste a single minute of out training time on excuses!"

"I-it's alright, I just g-got here…" She tried to alleviate the situation, but no one seemed to hear her small voice. Well, Sasuke might have, but he gave no indication. He had, after all, heard her the first time. She sent him a glance, but quickly lowered her eyes. He was… Mildly frightening. No, more like he was someone that one needed to be wary of. She shivered lightly studied the ground at her feet with more vigor.

Kakashi's nervous laugh filled the silence and he started guardedly walking towards the training grounds with Naruto and Sakura at his heels. Hinata hesitated and followed after them pretending to be unaware of the critical black eyes that followed her after Sasuke was sure she had passed. The strong urge to shiver clung to her but years of practice allowed her to remain upright and still.

Sasuke watched the little Hyuuga girl blushingly follow after his teammates and sensei. He wasn't quite sure why, but he felt wary of her. Even before he returned to Konoha he had stayed close only to his teammates. Intruders were not welcome in his world. Though he was wary, he would not think on it too much. That would mean that he cared. He did not care. This was his mantra; he had used to get by since everything he cared about was ripped from him. His family had been avenged, but how could even death make up for the years of torture he had suffered at the hands of that man?

"Tch." Thinking on the past was pointless now. How foolish of him to get caught in that trap. It was the girl's fault, he didn't need anything new in his life. He had everything he needed: a strong sensei, a strong rival, a strong person to keep that strong rival in check. Nothing more was needed. She would have done better to have stayed with her own team. Regardless, she wouldn't come back. Kakashi did not play around with training, even if he did with everything else. He made them sweat. Pampered heiress' would not know the meaning of the word work.

* * *

The sound of a padded fist beating against cloth and wood was occasionally accompanied by tiny fragmented grunts. She had been training for hours now, and even though she had come to the grounds with team seven she was alone. It was almost time. She backed away from the cloth covered log and bent over, grabbing her legs with her hands to keep herself up. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke had gone their different ways to train until ten. Then, Kakashi explained, they would meet and pair off to spar. It was a given that Naruto would train with Sasuke. He was the only one of their group who could compete with him, meaning that she would spar with Sakura. 

Hinata looked up at the sun, shading her eyes against its rays with a bloody hand. Her hands always bled when she trained. Other ninja grew calluses, but for some reason hers did not. They stayed just as soft as the day she was born into this world. Maybe it was a strange gene slice or something inherited from her mother. Maybe it was because her salves made sure her hands always healed correctly. She had tried not using salves on her hands, but then nasty blisters would appear and it only made her miserable. Perhaps her skin was just soft so it broke instead of breaking into calluses. She sighed and wrapped her hands in special bandages that were just for this purpose. She had long gotten used to her hands being the way they were and regularly carries around bandages soaked in salving mixtures.

She donned the medicinal garments, just like she always did, and just like always the pain ebbed away and her hands became numb. The sun was not quite in the right position for her to head over to the training area, but she wanted to finish her training over by the waterfall nearby. Maybe she'd pass by where Naruto was training…. A slight blush appeared on hr cheeks. Did he train in hand to hand combat like she did? Did he work on his special techniques? Both most likely. He was a hard worker, determined and strong in every aspect of his life. She shook her head trying to rid herself of these thoughts. It did not do well to stare off into the distance. After shaking herself to make sure she was no longer dazed, she jogged over to the other side of the training ground.

Sakura knelt down by the river, continuing the last part of her solitary training. Actually, it was more like a break since she had been working so hard on her taijutsu. She had to practice her speed anyway, so this would help. It wasn't completely slacking. Convincing herself would have been harder than trying with anyone else. As a medic nin she had different things she needed to train in. She knew that. It just… When she saw all the gruesome things the other two were putting themselves through she felt like maybe she wasn't… What she was doing wasn't enough. Tsunade would tell her that it took the same effort, and her muscles told her the same, but it just wasn't as impressive as beating oneself half to death. A sigh passed through her. Well, she had better get to work or she really _would_ be slacking.

A splash, her arm moved so fast Hinata could barely tell it had moved. Several more such 'attacks'… And then a fish was pulled out of the water, long fingers wrapped around its scaly tail. Sakura's eyes flashed, the emotions mixed and obscure, and she passed a glowing hand over the fish. It shuddered as her had pushed past its length. The hand almost seemed to go through its body, but that would have been… Well, she could still see her hand outside so it couldn't have. Something was going on with her chakra, and if Hinata was not worried about what Sakura might think about it she may have tried out her Byakugan just to see what was happening. She didn't want to spy without permission and steal her techniques, however….

It made her wonder what the technique was doing. When Sakura's hand reached its head she flicked her wrist and a small amount of strange… Black stuff splattered onto the ground. The fish was no longer moving. Surely it was not a technique that simply killed the fish… She waited, waited for Sakura to repeat the process. The woman took a deep breath and then her hands were in the water again. Another fish, no… Three fish. She had them all by their tails and she preparing to raise her other hand. Hinata's raised instead, small veins appearing in the corners of her eyes. There! Sakura's chakra flared in her hand as she passed it over the struggling fish. Her chakra was not a spike, but formed into a small plane, more like a piece of paper. No, like a filter. She pushed it through the bodies of the fish and Hinata could see the tiny particles building up against it. She flicked her wrist once again, cutting the brain stem and simultaneously forcing the accumulation out of its body.

Feeling slightly dishonest, she slipped out from behind the trees to meet with the talented medic nin. "Ano… That was… Amazing, Haruno-san…" A small gasp came from Sakura as she spun around.

"Hinata! I… I didn't sense you there…" The words were spoken with a small bit of wonder. How could she have missed her? Hinata wasn't that good, was she? Her face flushed. She was probably too distracted by her training… No good, she's have to be more careful next time.

"I'm sorry… I w-was… I was going to t-train by the river myself, but…" She stared at the ground intently, slightly ashamed at her actions. "I saw you…" She gestured towards the fish.

"Oh, that? Tsunade was teaching me to remove pollutants from fish. I'd been using fish from dirty ponds and I've just recently moved on to normal river fish…" She laughed to ease the tension in the air. Hinata sometimes made the air full of the stuff. She was a good kid, but awkward.

Hinata looked up at her with admiration written on her face. "Wow, that must be v-very useful… Narut-to-kun and Uchiha-san are v-very lucky to h-have you on their team." Her smile was so innocent and loving, Sakura was taken aback for a moment. No one smiled like that, no one she knew.

"You really are something…" She whispered under her breath. In truth, she was a bit jealous. How could she keep that attitude with the life they lead? She was a strong woman, she realized. It was foolish for her to assume things about her. Hadn't she snuck up on herself after all? She smiled at Hinata, but the smile was one of her own. That meant there was always something else just under the surface. Another feeling or motive under the slight curve of her lips. She felt a little guilty that she was jealous of the poor girl. She didn't deserve her harsh feelings.

"W-What was that, Haruno-san?" Hinata fiddled with her fingers. Sakura had muttered something, had she embarrassed her?

"It's nothing! Thanks, Hinata, I'm flattered you think so." She attempted to brighten her smile to reassure the timid girl. "No need to be so formal! Call me Sakura."

"Ah… Yes, Sakura-san." The silence stretched out uncomfortable long. Neither seemed to know just what to make of the other. Both turned their faces away in embarrassment. Meanwhile, the sun was making its way across the cloudless sky.

* * *

Okay, so this was a short chapter. I admit it. Really, it was just the ending of the conversation that started in the last chapter. ;; But the next chapter will be better, I promise! It will be about their training or after their training or both. If I skip the actual training or if I don't go into exact detail about what they're doing... It's because I'm either lazy or because I don't think they do something creative every day as training. Usually it just shows Sasuke throwing shurikens or using the chidori, Sakura is usually with Tsunade, and Naruto works on his Rasengan. Or it used to be beating up straw dolls that look like either Kakashi or Sasuke. And Hinata just hits a tree, so... I might say just that, but in more words and detail. In either case, the part after training will be interesting. So, until Chapter 6... 

New: This is chapters five and six, now called chapter three. All new chapters will be four Word pages long, and I am combining chapters 1 and 2, 3 and 4, and 5 and 6 respectively. I hope you will continue to read and enjoy the story.


	4. Chapter 4

Alright, that took longer than it should have. If it would help anything, I would say that Microsoft Word stopped working on my computer and I was having difficulties, but it wouldn't. Without further ado: Chapter 4.

This fic is rated M for a reason. Citris, but NOT PWP. It sort of has a plot. It has it's dark moments and is full of the angst of teenagers. I'll try to make it not completely emo, but I'm also trying to stay in character as well as I can. And we all know Sasuke... This fic will not be centered around any other pairings, because it's about Hinata. If I change my mind later (which is unlikely) it will only be because the plot demands it. Constructive critique is encouraged, but please don't just bash. Ex:

Critique: "You're plot is really sketchy and I think you made Kiba too brutal."

Bash: "This sucks."

* * *

Chapter 4: To Prove Her Worth 

"Well..." Sakura was a bit uncomfortable with the silence. "We'd better get back to the boys, it's almost time to spar after all." Hinata wan't much of a talker. And she twiddled with her fingers constantly. Must be a nervous habit... Her analyzing was cut off by the other girl's soft stutterings, however.  
"Y-yes... W-would you like to... Walk w-wtih me, Sakura-san?"  
"Of course, I'd like that."

The walk was also mostly silent and very awkward. Normally, the silence didn't bother Hinata, but when there was another person who kept trying to start conversations... Well, it made her uncomfortable. Even when she didn't try to start conversations Sakura was uncomfortable to be around simply because... Well, it wasn't normal for her to be this quiet and Hinata could tell she was uncomfortable making her even more uncomfrotable. It was basically a mess. She felt like she was expected to do something more, but she just couldn't think of anything to talk about.

It was a reilif when Naruto's voice broke the silence. In more than one way. The temprrature seemed to rise and Hinata pulled on her jacket hood to let some of the heat out. No, he outside air was fine... She touched her face and sure enough it was burning up. Oh, she really needed to fine a way to stop doing this...  
"Oi! You guys are late!" Actually, they were just on time. Naruto probably felt like yelling. That was why she liked him... Oh, thinking really didn't help her condition.  
"N-Naruto-k--" She was interupted halfway through by another voice.

"We're not late, idiot! You're early!" There was a yelp and Sakura took her hand back, rubbing her knuckles. His head was so hard! She glared at the cause of her acheing joints.  
"Now, now! Might as well start our sparing now, right? Hinata," Kakashi turned his head to the dark haired girl with his eyes turned upward in a smile. "You will spar with Sakura, she's more your skill level. Naruto and Sasuke, you'll go together as usual, but--" Here he paused to look at the three of them. Sasuke was still hidden, but he must've been there, Hinata supposed. "I want Hinata and Sakura to spar first so that they can watch Naruto and Sasuke. You'll learn from them and then I'll expect you to correct your own mistakes by watching each other."

Sakura wondered at that. Sure, she was excited to finally have someone to spar with, but... She didn't want to hurt Hinata. She couldn't be that bad, after all she had snuck up on her just a few minutes ago. But her punches could kill.

Hinata walked up to Sakura, surprising the girl by bowing. "I have great respect for you, Sakura-san... So I will do my best. I hope you will also take me seriously." She straightened up and smiled sincerely at Sakura. People usually took her lightly, but she didn't want to hurt Sakura because she had underestimated her. Her Juuken could kill with a right placed hit, she'd have to be careful. And Naruto was watching her...She could not lose.

Her wording had unknowingly made Sakura feel guilty. "Yes, let's both do our best." She smiled back at her, feeling bad that she hadn't had enough respect for her to let her take care of herself. She had a bloodline ability, so she should be careful, not the other way around. Maybe it was how nice she was that made her think she needed protecting... Because she was different, not like other people. Even though they were ninja, somehow she managed to maintain that perfect innocence. Her thoughts were as white as winter's first snow; pure, clean, guiltless. Or so it appeared.

Hinata would never let anyone know of her shame. Some girls her age had 'gone all the way', and she was proud of herself for being able to stand up for herself; to say no even if it came a bit late. Even if it meant that she lost the most precious thing she had ever had. The closest relationship she'd ever had. Was she loose? She didn't think so, but... She wasn't strong enough to turn him away until he had already... But that didn't matter. She would be better now, she would forge a new life. She would... She would make herself stronger so that she would not give in to anyone's will on something so important. With that determination, that thought in mind, she closed her eyes.

Inspecting the timid woman in front of her, she noticed small blood veins show up around her eyes. Before she may have thought it was disgusting, but now she could understand. Her eyes were receiving so much chakra that the blood flow was swollen from it making her perfect skin rise with the pressure. Hinata meant to end this quickly. Her techniques were dangerous. One hit could be fatal, or could end the match. Luckily, Sakura had the same deal. One hit was all it took for her to crush them. Whoever struck first would win. That, or she could try to outlast her. With the amount of chakra built up in her eyes she would no doubt tire quickly or run out of chakra. From what she remembered, Hinata didn't have the vast chakra capacity that Sasuke or Naruto had.

She could feel the ground beneath her feet, how they fit together so perfectly that it was as if they were made for this. She slid her foot across the ground and into the familiar stance that had been beaten into her since childhood. Hours and hours of endless practice. She had never gotten the ancient style of Juuken. It took her years to finally figure out why she could not do it. She was made differently. However, with inspiration she learned to plow through. Find a new way to work things out. She developed her own version of Juuken, one that was made to match her own strengths. Her flexibility and not her weaknesses.

Even though her eyelids were draped over her eyes, she could see clearly in a full circle around her. She had practiced her Juuken this way, it lessened the temptation of releasing the jutsu. Everyone underestimated her. Not only was she a girl, but she had been the shame of the Hyuuga clan for years. This was easily manipulated, and she increased it by fighting with her eyes closed. For her, the Byakugan worked better without opening her eyes. That way she couldn't see anything but chakra and was not lulled into a false sense of security that often happened to even the best fighters when chakra was weak. In this state everything else wasn't there so even the slightest bit of chakra would show clearly like light in the dark.

Most people had blue chakra. The only time she had seen another color... Had been when she had gone with Naruto and the rest of the Rookie Nine to capture Sasuke. There had been two other colors then. Red and purple. Something inside Naruto; the curse seal that Sasuke bore.

She saw the familiar blue coming from Sakura, just as she had from every other person since. She was gathering her chakra in her feet and hands. She had to strike now, but later she would admire Sakura's talent in chakra control. But now was the time to act. She was getting ready to strike and she had to stop her before she did. Beat her to it. Seconds later she had a much better view of the pink hair on Sakura's head. Not bothering with the sixty four strike, she closed several tenketsu leading to her arms without being detected. She directed Sakura's attention instead on a false attempt at hitting a vital organ. The decoy was successful and she found herself being thrown over Sakura's head.

'Damn.' Hinata had gotten under her defense. That could have been a fatal blow. Wake up calls were sometimes in the form of an alarm clock but this kind was just as common. For a ninja. Hinata had been versed in how to kill people since she was old enough to walk, for heaven's sake. The eight vital spots had probably been drilled into her mind while the rest of them were being potty trained! Well, maybe except for the other's who came from important clans like the Uchiha and Aburame. But she had to remember to-- Another hit came flying at her. For such a shy girl her fighting was agressive. Sakura had been on the defensive the entire time.

Then it hit her. Hinata was using her Byakugan to take preemptive measures against Sakura's attacks. She had to gather chakra into her hands before releasing it in a large explosion. The initial gathering of chakra was so minute that it shouldn't be detectable, but the Byakugan was able to see it. It shouldn't be surprising, she had known this. It just didn't seem like Hinata had gotten... Well, it had seemed that the genes she had received of the blood limit were somewhat weak. Could one really improve that much in such a small amount of time? Only... Naruto had. Hinata did seem to observe Naruto when he was around. A strike at her head cut off her thoughts forcing her back to the fight.

Her hands seemed to almost move on their own, flowing from one strike into the next with almost no cognitive direction. The exercises and movements were etched into her muscles until it became instinct. Sakura was more adept at using her chakra control to destroy things, speed was not her forte. They were poorly matched. Besides her inhuman strength, Sakura had no real techniques. Hinata had so many that she couldn't count them all, her father had seen to that. She could sense Sakura's attacks a long time before they came and even if she didn't know it... Sakura no longer had chakra flowing through her left arm.

She had to do something fast. Instead of the other way around, it seemed that Hinata was wearing her down, She didn't have time to strike, no time to think. An idea struck. She gradually spread her chakra out through her body and into the ground. Hinata had been keeping her eyes closed the entire time. Sakura couldn't use her chakra because of the Byakugan. She'd have to beat her with taijutsu. She simultaneously dodged a blow and slid her feet under Hinata's giving her just enough time to launch herself into the air and behind the three spectators.

Sakura had tried to trip her, and then gone up into the air... And disappeared. Her chakra signature was completely gone. Animals had stronger, brighter chakra than plants. Also, unlike plants, moving creatures, including humans, had their chakra spread unevenly throughout their body. There were several places where there was more chakra than others while unmoving objects had it spread evenly. Movement appeared out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned it was only a tree. Had that... been there before...? A sharp pain exploded from her stomach and she was thrust backward onto the ground.

Immediately, she knew what had happened and opened her eyes. Sakura was standing over her ready to attack again. She had figured it out. Sakura had figured out the difference between human and plant chakra signatures. How could she? Perhaps this time it was she who had underestimated her opponent.

The men watched the girls fight from the edge of the clearing. "Eh?" Naruto, of course, had broken the tension with his idiocy. But he was confused. Sakura had jumped behind them and then teleported herself directly behind Hinata. She had used jutsu, but... Wasn't there usually a noise and lots of smoke? Hinata turned around, but she didn't see Sakura at all! She had the Byakugan didn't she? Her eyes were closed though...

Kakashi sighed, knowing that sooner or later he would have to walk Naruto through this. "The Hyuuga can see chakra. Normally, they can see everything the way it appears with color and all as well as chakra, but when Hinata closes her eyes... It must be that she loses her normal vision. Although I'm not entirely sure why she's keeping her eyes closed, she couldn't see Sakura because Sakura dissipated her chakra so that is blended in with inanimate objects. Most ninja can do this when they hide their presence from other ninja, but... It's not usually good enough to fool the Byakugan." His visible eye turned upward in a smile as he finished up his explanation. "Our Sakura is exceptionally skilled in chakra manipulation."

* * *

Heh. I _was_ planning on finishing the fight this chapter... But I just couldn't do them both justice in such a short fight. Yeah, I make it seem like it's going to be a sudden death kind of thing, but... That's just what it would seem like at first, so. Meh. Sorry I took so long to update, but I have lots of new ideas so I'll try to do it more often. That and I've given up on Word and have decided to download Open Office. Feel free to send me your opinion on what should happen next, although I won't promise that it will. I like to hear what you think though. Until next time! Jaa ne. 


	5. Chapter 5

Eh heh, sorry this took so long. I was kind of in a slump for a moment there. Oh, thanks to mangagakaz for her praise. //// Anyway, here's chapter five.

This fic is rated M for a reason. Citris, but NOT PWP. It sort of has a plot. It has it's dark moments and is full of the angst of teenagers. I'll try to make it not completely emo, but I'm also trying to stay in character as well as I can. And we all know Sasuke... This fic will not be centered around any other pairings, because it's about Hinata. If I change my mind later (which is unlikely) it will only be because the plot demands it. Constructive critique is encouraged, but please don't just bash. Ex:

Critique: "You're plot is really sketchy and I think you made Kiba too brutal."  
Bash: "This sucks."

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Chapter 5: Finale

It was time to end this. One way or another, the spar coming to a close. Sakura got ready to punch the small girl on the ground. Hinata was poised to send a jolt of chakra right through her heart when she tried. Kakashi was studying the two anticipating their next moves. Sasuke was staring apathetically at the kunoichi. Naruto was picking his nose oblivious to the battle tension because he personally didn't care who won. Of course, he knew that Sakura would win. She gave _him_ trouble when she was serious. Hinata was a great person and all, but... She just didn't have what it took to go all out against someone who was a friend. She was strong-- he knew that after the chuunin exams-- but he always had his confidence in Sakura. She was the girl he loved, after all. Dattebayo. (AN: Sorry, I had to.)

Sakura knew that she had the upper hand, that she was going to beat Hinata. She had come this far, but now that her little trick was found out there was nothing left. For some reason, Hinata hadn't used any special techniques. No jutsu, only taijutsu. Maybe she couldn't. Maybe she'd used all her chakra by using her juuken. Whatever the reason, Sakura knew that she was going to win.

She struck, aiming for the petite girl's face, knowing that she would simply punch her without her super human strength and that it would be acknowledged that she would have won had it been a real battle. She didn't want to kill the girl after all. Her fist was seconds away from her face. She felt the impact in her chest. Her eyes widened and her heart stopped beating. She could see Hinata's face. Cold, serious. She could hear yelling in the back ground, Naruto's voice. And Sasuke. He was looking in her direction with mild interest. But his eye's weren't turned to her, they were turned to the girl whose hand was currently on her chest. Naruto's words blurred together. She couldn't be certain but she thought she heard the word 'grope'. A smile came across her face for a moment and she slumped to the ground.

"Sakura-san? Are you alright?" The gentle voice was familiar, but the stutter that was usually present was gone. Hinata was now crouched beside her, she could even feel her soft hair brush against her cheek. She wasn't seeing straight, everything was so... Fuzzy. She felt light headed and weighed down at the same time. Above all the other feelings was the one that made every breath hard and thick like breathing in soup. Defeat tingled through her body.

"Oh... Yes, I'm fine..." Why was she so struck by this? It wasn't like she hadn't always known that she was weaker than most of her peers. It was just that... No matter how bad she was, she had always known that there was someone who was just a little bit weaker. It disgusted her that she had had to think that way in order to keep up her self esteem. But Hinata didn't seem winded even. Was she that weak or had Hinata gotten stronger? She stood to her feet, staring off into nothing. She appeared dazed, or maybe in a trance.

"What did you _do_ to her?" His voice was frantic. Was he worried about her? Of course he was. Naruto had always cared about her a little too much. She hadn't felt this down since Sasuke had told her she was useless back when they were just kids. Hadn't she gotten over her bouts of depression long ago?

Hinata was panicked as well. "I-I-I d-didn't do anything! I just held her h-heart for one b-beat, but that's completely ha-harmless! It wouldn't hurt a baby!" What had gone wrong? A heart skipping a beat didn't so much as faze anyone. Did Sakura have some heart condition that she didn't know about? But her still activated Byakugan didn't sense anything out of the ordinary in her body. "Her b-body is... Unharmed, I--"

"I'm fine! Fine!" A fake smile eased up to alleviate their worries. "I was just a little surprised, that's all! Eh heh." She turned to her opponent while scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. "Wow, Hinata, you've gotten really good! I guess I'll have to train harder, huh?" She stood and brushed herself off, the sick smile still plastered on her face. If people saw the really her they would surely turn away in disgust. She was disgusted with herself, so how could she expect other's to understand. These feelings were definitely not... Right. A good person would not feel this way.

"Sakura-san..." Eyes downcast, she let the chakra flee from her eyes. She didn't want to read Sakura's body language right now; she could tell Sakura wanted to keep whatever she was thinking a secret. She would never force someone else to reveal themselves in such a way as the Hyuuga had done to her so many times. People deserved their privacy of mind.

"I'm really alright! Hey, weren't we going to watch Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun spar so that we could correct our own mistakes?" Her delicate smile turned into a bare mouthed grin as she moved to stand by the sidelines.

A single eye watched the interaction with curiosity. Should he have stopped the fight earlier as he had intended? If he had reached in to grab both of their hands it would have appeared to have been a draw. But... He felt that Hinata deserved to be recognized for her strength. Underestimating ones colleagues could lead to terrible mishaps on missions. Perhaps this would help boost the shy girl's confidence in her abilities. Sakura, however she chose to hide it, needed the self confidence as well. She had always sought to elevate herself by lowering others instead of seeking improvement. She needed to change that aspect, although it would be hard with the way Naruto coddled her.

"Ah! That's right!" Said boy seemed to suddenly remember that there were, in fact, other people in the clearing.

"Tch, Idiot." The rare second comment of the day. It didn't really count because it was one of his one word replies, but it was a reply and you couldn't exactly expect volumes from Sasuke. Not just him, actually.

Most large clans produced quiet children. The largest and most powerful clans being the Hyuuga and the Uchiha, and after them were the middle class clans like the Aburame, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Inuzuka and so forth. There were a few that were more outspoken, for example Ino and Kiba, but the rest of them were rather reserved. Not many would notice this because they were not as 'loud' about being quiet as Sasuke or Hinata and would answer questions in class or occasionally interrupt a conversation without making a scene. Sasuke's lack of speaking stood out only because other's were so intent on speaking with him and Hinata's because she was very shy and would blush or stutter.

"Alright you two, you have until one." Kakashi had gotten into the habit of putting a time limit on Sasuke and Naruto's spars. If he didn't then it would last until one or both collapsed from exhaustion. Which meant it could last a _very_ long time. Afterwards they always went to eat at Ichiraku's Ramen. Naruto would eat several bowls each time and depending on everyone else's mood they would do as they pleased. Sasuke usually went off to train by himself, although the rest of the team didn't know this Kakashi did. Sakura would either go to study with Tsunade or eat with Naruto and Kakashi would go off and read Icha Icha Paradise. It was just another well worn routine. Just like the start of the boys spar.

This one was no different. Naruto and Sasuke would exchange insults, although Sasuke's were always both considerably shorter and more clever. Naruto would get angry, and eventually was provoked into striking first. Then the dance began.

They both knew the other so well that their fights almost looked staged. Naruto would, like fire, burst open a round of punches and kicks while Sasuke would dodge each with the ease water flows between rocks in a river bed. He seemed to be moving slower than Naruto and yet not a single would ever hit. Naruto knew from experience that these kinds didn't hit but he would gain confidence with each hit.

Then Sasuke would get bored and send Naruto flying. He would land perfectly and more often than not he would attack with kage bushin. Then is would start all over again, neither giving even a little bit. It always started with taijutsu and then after they had both gotten a good workout they would start showing off with the more flashy techniques.

When they brought out the big guns Hinata's Byakugan studied their every move concentrating on how their chakra would build and release, studying them. The fact that Hinata could still use her Byakugan was minutely distressing to Sakura, but their own spar had not been that long. Instead of nursing her injured pride she forced herself to also study the two, except she concentrated on their footwork.

She and Hinata had truly been a poor match. Hinata's skills were highest in taijutsu and her intelligence with her seal knowledge and speed in close second. She was also very flexible and had years of training in being precise with her chakra control. Sakura's strong points were in her intelligence, seal knowledge, and genjutsu. Thus, she was actually not very skilled in taijutsu and she couldn't attack very quickly. Training with Tsunade had helped her greatly, but she needed to keep working on it.

The intensity of Sasuke and Naruto's battle put the kunoichi's to shame. It was as if they actually wanted to kill each other. Hinata found herself unable to to look away from either one. She had always admired that flame, that determination that Naruto had. She didn't really know Sasuke. Before the Uchiha massacre she would see him at a distance when their clans held meetings. She had never approached him then. He was an Uchiha. She was a Hyuuga. They didn't associate outside of those meetings. It wasn't done.

Now his fluid movements drew her eye. Their movements fit together so well, flowing together, contrasting all the same. It was like a complex dance, giving one way, then the other. Neither could gain dominance for very long. Fighting for the lead.

She closed her eyes and let darkness cloak everything. Lights flashed just beyond her eyelids, clashing together and breaking apart. It was almost like a pattern of blue fireflies. Sometimes the two would join together, their chakra mixing...

"Ah!" She opened her eyes just in time to see the chidori drag through a line of bushins towards Naruto. That's how their chakra mixed... Smoke filled the air making it impossible to see with the unaided eye.

"What's happening?" Sakura covered her face with an arm to keep the smoke out of her eyes whilst desperately trying to see through it. The chidori lightning was not shining through the mist.

"Uchiha--" Hinata had been about to try to describe what she saw when a brazen voice interrupted her.

"Jeez! Are you _trying_ to kill me, teme!?" A very flustered Naruto sputtered from the top of a large boulder. Only inches below his feet was Sasuke's shoulder which appeared to be coming out of the rock.

"One 'o clock." He pulled his arm out and sauntered towards the group of bystanders. His face was as blank as ever, but as he passed them his eyes held Hinata's for a fraction of a second. She visibly froze, clutching her chest and staring where his eyes had been a moment before.

Kakashi watched the exchange unnoticed by his charges. If he was not wearing his mask then the others may have seen his small smirk, however they may not have cared about what his expression was if his mask was off. One hand in his pocket, he turned to follow the last Uchiha towards town.

Hinata stayed frozen for quite some time watching the two walk off, oblivious to the young couple fighting behind her. And then the ground came up at her face so fast that she almost didn't have time to break her fall.

"NARUTO! Watch where you're going, you just crashed into Hinata-chan!" The sound of a hand hitting something hard.

"Owwww... Sakura-chaaan..." Hinata pulled her knees under her and flipped over to look at them.

"Apologize to her, idiot!" Sakura hit him again and the colorful words coming out of Naruto's mouth made her cheeks hot.

"Ano... It's really okay! Naruto didn't mean to.. I was just not paying attention. Gomen..." This cause both of them to look in her direction, their quarrel forgotten.

"Aw, don't apologize Hinata-chan." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck to hide his embarrassment at knocking her over. "Sorry about that, eh heh..."

"Th-That-t's alright, N-Naruto-kun." She was glad her bangs were so long.

Sakura stared at the two sitting awkwardly on the ground. Okay, now those two were making _her_ feel embarrassed. "Alright, now that that's over... We've got to hurry up or Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sensei will leave without us." Indeed, their figures were fairly far down the road.

"GAH!" Naruto scrambled to his feet and started running leaving the two women in the dust. "WAIT FOR ME YOU BASTARD!!!"

Hinata was about to stand up when a hand was extended towards her. "Come on, let's catch up." Her smile was warm. Hinata accepted her hand stuttering a thanks while she was pulled up. Before she could dust herself off she was dragged away by a laughing Sakura.

Today was... fun. Hinata fervently hoped that she would get another chance to spar with them. She wouldn't forget the bento next time... What did they like? Maybe she would be able to find out when they ate together.

A happy blush spread across her face. She felt like she had been accepted into their group, even if just for a day. Sakura's tight grasp on her wrist loosened as Naruto's familiar voice came into focus. He was yelling at Sasuke again, who was ignoring him. Her hand dropped from Sakura's grasp and she brought it up to cover her mouth cradling a small giggle.

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Okay! Next chapter... If it's alright, I'd like your opinion. Should I start them off during lunch or should I skip ahead to a few weeks into their continued training together? Actually, I'll probably just go with lunch and continue from there because there's a few things I'm going to add about Hinata's team and also Neji at her house. One more chapter and I'll be caught up again! Eh heh. Then it will really send notices when a new chapter is up. 


	6. A  N

So apparently you can't completely delete chapters so this will be up until I write enough to fill it.  



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